Two Peas In A Pod
by Iluvbeyblade
Summary: They say opposites attract. But do they? Kai and Ozuma are so alike, they've each got enough going on inside their minds to make anyone unsociable... Why, then, are they attracted to each other? KaiOzuma, MaxMariam, TysonHilary, RayMariah or RaySalima.
1. Chapter 1

Well, this is one of my many, many favourite pairings, most of which I have yet to write a fic on! So, let's add another one to my 16 unfinished fics! I'm an idiot sometimes...

Disclaimer: Me no own Beyblade, series I, II or III. Happy?

* * *

"Ray, how on earth did I get myself into this?" Kai muttered, shuddering in revulsion.

"You didn't say no at the right time," the Chinese boy told him, hiding a grin.

"And when would that have been?" Kai inquired sarcastically.

"Just before he opened his mouth." Ray chuckled at his own joke. Kai gave him a stony stare and turned away, resting his hand against his temples for a brief second. "Kai?" Kai blinked and met Ray's concerned golden eyes. "You okay, bud?" In response, he simply walked away. Finding what could well be his last peaceful place for far too long, he swung himself up into the tree and sat on a broad branch. With a quiet sigh, he rested his aching head against the rough, abrasive bark. As the ceaseless pounding faded slightly, he was at last able to think clearly. He swore softly under his breath. He hadn't had a stress headache for over two years now. Why did they have to come back now? Next thing he knew, he'd be cutting himself and having panic - _no, don't tempt fate! _he ordered himself sternly. How had he ended in this awful, unthinkable position anyway?

_"Kai? Kai!" Tyson yelled, jogging through the dojo, head swivelling full circle in his efforts to find the long-suffering team captain. Kai watched him run past at least four times with amusement before finally succumbing to Ray and Hilary's combined glares of annoyance._

_"What?" he said curtly, timing it at the exact moment that Tyson reached the ankle-height table. Amid muffled curses, the loud-mouthed dustbin on legs clambered to his feet and looked around for his still-elusive captain. "I'm behind you, you imbecile." He smirked, which grew into a slightly malicious grin as he saw Tyson glaring at him, holding one ankle and pouting childishly. "You're trying to intimidate me?" He shook his head in mock-disbelief and stood up slowly. "Let me show you how that works…" Suddenly, all amusement fell from his face. His expression turned cold, grey eyes blazing with irritation. He began to advance on Tyson, trapping the younger boy in the corner of the room. Tyson laughed nervously._

_"O-Okay Kai, you've made your point.," he said apprehensively, backing away one step at a time. "Kai?" Not so much as a twitch. "Kai, stop it!" he pleaded, fear showing in his eyes. Kai continued to advance until he was barely five centimetres away from the cringing boy. As abruptly as it had changed first time round, his face sprang back into its normal half smirk. More than half a smirk at that precise moment, actually. Seeing the fear in Tyson's eyes dissipate only slightly, he reached out and patted him awkwardly on the shoulder._

_"That's how you do it." he said. Tyson glared at him again, muttering something under his breath to the tune of "stupid, scary Kai and his stupid, scary death-glares…" "Anyway, what did you want me for?" Kai asked, moving away to lean comfortably against the wall. Tyson's face creased for a moment as he searched through his unreliable memory, which at the moment was overwhelmed with pictures of killing Kai slowly and painfully with his own glares. Suddenly, his face cleared._

_"Oh yeah, I remember now!"_

_"Hallelujah…"_

_"The Saint Shields are gonna be in town for some charity match thing, and they've invited us to stay in this exclusive hotel thingy with them." _

_"So?" Kai prompted impatiently. Tyson looked bewildered._

_"Well…can we?" he asked uncertainly. Kai shrugged._

_"Whatever Mr Dickinson says."_

_"Oh, that's good." Tyson grinned. "Because he said yes!" Everyone alternately winced (Kenny, Ray, and Hilary) or grinned (Max and Tyson) at the fleeting look of horror that swept across Kai's face before he managed to compose himself. Seeking for something to distract himself from his sudden predicament, he turned to Kenny, a quizzical expression on his face._

_"Charity match?"_

Oh yes, he remembered. Damn Tyson and his unstoppable enthusiasm for all things and people remotely connected to beyblade…

"Hey! Kai!" Ray's yell jolted him from his half-doze and reawakened his throbbing head. He didn't bother even looking at Ray, concentrating entirely on the hammer thumping at the inside of his skull. He'd forgotten how to cope with these now, it had been so long… He just needed to relax, that was all, just relax and he'd be fine. There was a slight creak as Ray jumped up beside him, demonstrating his enviable gymnastic abilities. "Kai? You feeling okay?"

"Yes." He didn't dare nod his head.

"All right, then," Ray said uncertainly.

"What's saying I'm not?"

"Well, for a start you look like something just hit you round the head, and secondly you've been really brusque towards all of us today. Unless Black Dranzer or Wyatt's made an unwanted reappearance, that means you're not feeling your best."

"The next Sherlock Holmes." Kai muttered sarcastically, closing his eyes. He felt Ray gently rest a hand on his arm, a feat that he would never have dared a month ago before they had teamed up in the second World Championships.

"I'll tell the others to leave you alone for a bit, shall I?"

"That would be good."

"What's the matter, anyway?"

"It's nothing. Just a bit of a headache."

"A bit…okay, that mean it's probably something like a full-blown migraine." Ray said, as if to himself. The corner of Kai's mouth twitched upwards at the blatant reminder that he was irritatingly skilful at understating himself.

"I get the point…" he mumbled. He stretched out along the branch and lay still, listening to the soft rustle of wind through the leaves. Ray patted him lightly on the shoulder and swung down fluidly.

"I'll wake you up when we need to get moving yeah?"

"Mm…" Kai vaguely registered that Ray had said something, but didn't really care. He was comfortable, he was tired, and most importantly, his headache was fading. Lulled by the silence and lack of pain, he welcomed sleep with open arms.

* * *

"Kai?" Somebody was shaking him. "Kai, wake up!" Groggily, he opened his eyes and jumped at Hilary's face, less than five centimetres from his own. "God, you're almost as bad as Tyson!" the girl grumbled, climbing awkwardly down the tree, hampered by her miniskirt and chunky heeled shoes. "We're heading for the hotel as soon as Ray's finished with Tyson." Kai eyed her face warily. It wore an expression that could only be described as gleeful.

"What'd he do now?" he asked, slowly raising himself into a sitting position and staring down at Hilary, who grinned wickedly.

"Almost sent Ray to the hospital for stitches!" she declared triumphantly. Reluctantly, Kai took the bait.

"Care to explain that?" From the merry account that followed, little of which Kai actually paid attention to, long used to filtering out the useful pieces in Hilary's chatter, he worked the following out.

Tyson had broken a plate whilst stealing food from the cupboard. That he knew already, as the resulting smash had woken him partially up.

Scared of being discovered by Hilary, Kai or Kenny (in that order), Tyson had shoved the broken plate back in the cupboard…

…where Ray had discovered it two hours later, when he sliced his hand on the jagged porcelain.

Suddenly, the familiar sound of Tyson's yell rang out from the dojo. Hilary sighed in satisfaction.

"Punishment served." she murmured, a small smile on her face, which transformed in an instant upon hearing Kai's quiet comment.

"Sadist." Furious scowl met stony glare. This was one of the rare occasions where neither of them won, both slightly embarrassed by what they had said. Muttering under her breath, Hilary stalked away. Kai climbed down from the tree. His head was almost back to normal, just a faint sense of dizziness left to remind him of the monster that had gripped his skull in its cruel claws. He wandered over to the front of the house and stood next to Kenny, who was typing on Dizzi as usual. They nodded politely to each other.

"You feeling better, Kai?" Kenny questioned absentmindedly.

"Yes, thank you. What did Ray say?"

"Oh, just that you'd got a headache and to leave you alone for a bit. Glad it's better."

"So am I." Kai muttered. He gazed into the distance and speculated about the coming horrors of staying with a group of people who only Tyson and Max really knew at all.

Tyson shuffling round the corner, his head down, face miserable, interrupted his increasingly morbid thoughts. Hilary followed him, patting him comfortingly on the shoulder.

"Ray really went for him." she whispered as the two of them passed Kai. "Punched him round the head, then screamed at him for about fifteen minutes non-stop. Mind you, I don't really blame him for being mad. I wasn't kidding about him maybe needing stitches, you know."

Soon afterwards, Ray rounded the corner. His left hand was bandaged tightly, courtesy of Hilary. His hair was slightly dishevelled, and his eyes glittering with anger and pain. They fell into their regular groups. Tyson and Max walked in the middle, due to numerous disasters with cars and cyclists. Kenny and Hilary walked at the back, discussing, as usual, the team's tactics. Kai and Ray strode out at the front, due to being the only ones with any idea of a sense of direction.

* * *

Kai shot a concerned glance at Ray. The boy hadn't said a word since they started walking, or even looked at any of them. He just stalked along, golden eyes fixed on the pavement, right hand cradling his injured left to his chest. They reached a slight dip in the pavement. Predictably, Tyson and Kenny, neither of whom were looking where they were going, tripped and fell flat on their faces. **_Un_**predictably, Ray, cat-like, athletic Ray also stumbled and would have fallen if Kai hadn't caught him a split second before impact. As Kai pulled him upright again, their eyes met in an unspoken communication.

_What was that?_

_Never mind._

_But-_

_Later._ Troubled, Kai let it slip for the moment.

"FOOD! I'm _starved_!" Oh yes, they'd been walking for the grand total of ten minutes and Tyson decided he was the only survivor of a ten _year_ famine. No, wait, that was just what he was acting like… Shaking himself back to reality, Kai concentrated on the task at hand, which was trapping Ray in the restaurant toilets and finding out what the hell was up with him. Standing up, he walked towards the toilets, after sending Ray a glare that clearly meant "follow me or die". Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the people at the table opposite them nudge each other, clearly interpreting the glare the wrong way.

"God, some people have sick minds…" he whispered, shaking his head in disgust.

The door creaked slightly on its hinges as Ray came in. Kai turned around, his face carefully neutral.

"You okay, Ray?" he asked. Ray's lips curved in a small, sarcastic smile.

"Anyone got a feeling this has happened before?" he murmured, refusing to meet Kai's searching gaze. "Yeah, fine, never been better. Why?" Kai strode over the Ray and put one hand flat against the wall each side of him, effectively trapping him.

"I've never seen you do more than snap at Tyson, and suddenly I have Hilary telling me that you've punched him round the head."

"You know how Hilary exaggerates."

"I then had to catch you from tripping on a hollow that normally wouldn't have even entered your mind, let alone made you fall. _What's wrong_?" His voice was dark and intense, the sort of voice that says "If I don't get what I want, somebody's going to get hurt" Ray glared at him, refusing to back down. A flash of realisation suddenly hit Kai. "Who is it? Mariah or Salima?" Ray visibly flinched, his eyes suddenly wide and watchful. "Or both…that's it, isn't it? You can't decide between them." The look of humiliated defeat in Ray's eyes told him all he needed to know. He sighed and stepped away from him.

"One's willing, and one's not." Ray said softly. "Mariah couldn't be any happier if I asked her out, while Salima…" He trailed off, leaving Kai in no doubt about whom he really wanted. "Salima wants Kane."

"Well she'll have to wait for a while." Kai said offhandedly, with a faint smirk. Ray blinked in confusion.

"Why?"

"Kane's gay." Kai grinned at the look of sheer shock on Ray's face. "Didn't you see the way he kept looking at us all? So, think about it that way and you've still got a chance." Ray nodded, looking much happier.

"Yeah!" he agreed. "Thanks, Kai!" He clapped Kai on the shoulder in thanks and went out.

With a faint sigh, Kai leaned on one of the sinks, staring into the mirror. If he concentrated, he could see the person that people thought was him. Closed off, untouchable, invulnerable. What amazed him was that no one could see what he could. A frightened child, staring wildly into the mirror, out of control and in pain, most of it self-inflicted.

Pushing away the unexpected wave of self-pity, he straightened up. No use crying over split milk, after all. He couldn't change the past. Not even if it appeared to be coming back to haunt him… He wrenched his train of thought away from that dangerous subject and walked out, idly wondering whether Tyson would be finished yet.

"Hey, Kai?" Tyson yelled sheepishly. "You got any cash on you?" Rolling his eyes, Kai plunged his hand into his pocket. Before he could bring his wallet out, Max had already placed a wad of money in Tyson's outstretched hand. Tyson's eyes nearly fell out of his head. "Where - how - what…" he spluttered, staring at the notes. Max's eyes sparkled with laughter.

"My mom just sent me some money." he said carelessly.

"Tyson, pick your jaw off the floor before someone treads on it!" Ray joked, looking on with amusement and a faint jealousy. He never had anything _resembling_ money.

"_Some_ money? _Some_? If I had this kind of cash…" Tyson looked almost longingly at Max, who laughed, flushing slightly.

"It's guilt money," he said, shrugging sadly. "I'd prefer having her here more, but who am I to turn away free money?" Satisfied with this new answer, Tyson peeled off three notes from the bundle and headed towards the till.

"_Thirty_? How much did he eat now?" Kai asked in resigned dismay.

"You don't want to know." Hilary and Kenny said in unison. Kai opened his mouth to protest. "No, you _really_ don't." Hilary said doggedly.

"Fine." Kai watched as Tyson came back from the till, clutching a receipt that looked to be about a mile long. "I'll find out in a minute, won't I?" He gave them a slight grin. "Let's get a move on, then." he reproached, herding the five of them towards the exit.

* * *

"Mariam! Over here!"

"Hi, Max! How are you?" Everyone on both teams exchanged meaningful glances as they looked at the two bladers, who couldn't seem to take their eyes off each other. Eventually, Kai and Ozuma tired of lovebird watching and stepped forwards to shake hands.

"Good to see you again, Kai."

"Same here." Kai replied, noticing that Ozuma had yet another earring, a heavy golden hoop hanging from his left ear.

Ozuma in turn noticed the faint shadows under Kai's eyes that spoke of a virtually non-existent sleeping pattern. Putting it down to training-induced insomnia, he dismissed it and turned just in time to intercept Tyson's enthusiastic embrace.

Kai cringed inwardly as Tyson rushed forwards to hug Ozuma tightly. The older boy's strange green eyes closed briefly in what looked like resignation, then he returned the embrace for a moment and detangled himself from the overexcited World Champion.

"Good to see you too, Tyson!" They grinned at each other, a grin that suddenly had a lot of teeth and not much smile. Kai grimaced when he saw the unmistakeable challenge being shot between the two. There would be a battle before long, no doubt about that.

* * *

Well? All opinions welcome! Please don't expect fast updates,I do have 16 other fics on the go! Please, please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry about the wait: here I am again! I hate this chapter! Nothing happens in it, other than a bit of OOCness in my opinion. A big thank you to **Elemental Gypsy** and **Nedunque** for reviewing!

This is set just after the second series, to answer your question about Kai's eye colour, Nedunque!

Please enjoy!

* * *

Kai let out a growl of pure rage and scraped the worst of what looked like tomato ketchup off his clothes, his glare promising serious bodily harm to the next person that came within a foot of him. He _loathed_ getting his clothes dirty. At a relatively safe distance, Max, Tyson and Joseph were rolling around on the floor in fits of laughter. Suddenly, something seemed to snap inside Kai and he made a lunge for Tyson, already entertaining fantasies about strangulation and/or torture. Realising what he was doing, he stopped himself and stood perfectly still, glaring with hatred at the three boys. Tyson and Max gulped and ducked down behind Joseph, who stared brazenly at Kai.

"What? You can't take a joke?" he asked airily, seeming not to notice Kai's white-knuckled fists. "Well, _sorry, _next time we'll pick a better sport to have a bit of fun with!" Ray eyed Kai's worryingly silent figure apprehensively.

"What's up?" Dunga asked him in a loud whisper, only too aware of his own leader's rapidly fraying temper.

"Kai almost never loses his temper enough to start causing physical damage, but messing his clothes up is one of his triggers. He's absolutely obsessive when it comes to hygiene. Does Joseph have a death wish or something?"

"Yeah, that's what I think." Dunga chuckled.

"Look, Tyson, it's nothing to be scared of," Joseph was unstoppable. Tyson and Max had retreated behind Hilary and Mariam, sheer terror in their wide eyes as they stared at their captain. "He's not even reacting to it! Stupid wuss…" Kai's eyes blazed, grey darkened to near black with fury and he made a second lunge, this one for Joseph.

"THAT'S _ENOUGH_!" a voice bellowed. Kai skidded to a halt, breathing hard, and stepped aside to allow a fuming Ozuma through. "That was unacceptable, Joseph!" Ozuma said furiously, his own temper well and truly gone. "Kai is our guest here, and you insult and degrade him like this?" Joseph shuffled his feet awkwardly, cringing away from the older boy.

"It was just a joke, Ozuma. Sis, tell him it was just a joke!" he pleaded. Mariam shook her head.

"Oh no, I'm not bailing you out of this one. You completely stepped over the line when you started taunting poor Kai like that." Tyson sniggered softly.

"Poor _Kai_? Who's she kidding?" he whispered. Max grinned and nodded in agreement, then remembered who Tyson was on about and blushed. Groaning, Tyson turned back to the entertainment.

Kai and Ozuma were standing in front of Joseph, who looked positively terrified. Suddenly, Tyson started looking between the two leaders.

Kai - fists clenched, face white with fury, eyes narrowed.

Ozuma - fists clenched, face _red_ with fury, eyes narrowed.

"Do you two realise you're standing in the exact same way?" he called out.

"Oh yeah! I never noticed that! Maybe they're twins!" Dunga snorted at his own (very) bad joke. Kai and Ozuma shot icy glares at their respective team-mates.

"Argh! Identical death glares! HELP!" Tyson screamed.

"Shut up." they snarled in unison. While everyone else laughed, the two didn't bat an eyelid, carrying on at Joseph as if nothing had happened. Finally, they stepped back. Everybody grinned as they saw Kai deliberately wait a beat before stepping backwards to avoid another synchronised movement.

"I'm so sorry about Joseph, Kai." Ozuma apologised.

"I'll live." Kai assured him. He smirked "He might not, but I will." An idea struck him and he leaned forwards to ask permission. "Could I…"

"Of course." Ozuma agreed, grinning at the thought. "Go ahead." With a malicious grin, Kai stepped forwards, trapping Joseph against the wall in the same way that he had trapped Ray earlier on. He looked down for a few seconds into Joseph's terrified light-green eyes, then lowered his head until his mouth was level with Joseph's ear.

"This is payback." he whispered. Standing up straight, he very calmly and deliberately spat in the dark-green thatch of hair below him. Joint squeals of disgust came from Hilary and Mariam, who turned away, screwing their faces up.

"That's what called an eye for an eye." Ray commented, grinning widely at Joseph's yell of outrage and revulsion. Tyson and Max cheered their captain on (heartless betrayers that they were), and slapped hands in delight at the excellent spectacle.

"Max, Tyson, behave yourself!" Hilary scolded.

"Yes, Hilary…" they droned. Hilary cast a helpless look at Mariam.

"Stop being such idiots!" Mariam snapped.

"Y-Yes, Mariam." Max stammered, blushing a bright scarlet. Tyson ignored her.

"Tyson, please! Hilary begged. "Don't embarrass me!" Hearing the unusual note of pleading in Hilary's voice, Tyson relented.

"Okay." he said, shrugging casually.

Kai stepped away from Joseph, his anger disappearing as quickly as it had come. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"If you want to wash your clothes, the laundry room's just down the corridor." Ozuma offered.

"Thanks." Kai said briefly.

"No problem." Ozuma gave him a very faint smile, his own anger apparently still very much there. With a quick nod towards Ozuma, Kai strode out of the hotel lobby in search of the laundry room.

* * *

When he came back in a fresh set of clothes, Ozuma was standing at the reception desk, an annoyed look on his face. Dunga and Joseph were laughing at Tyson and Max in a corner. Both younger boys thought that everyone else was utterly oblivious to the glances that they kept shooting at the girls. Just to the side of them, Ray was leaning against the wall, an amused smile on his face as his eyes flickered between Tyson, Max, Hilary and Mariam. Swearing under his breath, Ozuma turned away from the desk with four keys swinging from his index finger. Kai raised an inquiring eyebrow.

"All right, listen up everybody!" Ozuma ordered. Ray reached out and waved a hand in front of Max's glazed eyes. The blond blinked and flushed with embarrassment. "Due to some idiots messing up the bookings, we only have five two-bed rooms."

"Five-two bedrooms? What the heck is that?" Joseph asked. Tyson nodded in vigorous agreement. Kai and Ozuma sighed simultaneously, prompting another gleeful comment from Tyson.

"It means, you pair of idiots," Hilary stated. "that there are only five bedrooms, each of which have two beds in them. Clear?" Tyson and Joseph nodded sheepishly. "So that means that we're going to have pair up." The two girls instantly linked arms, as did Tyson and Max. Dunga and Ray measured each other up, muttered something about "Channel X" and paired up. The girls giggled as they saw Kai and Ozuma staring at Kenny and Joseph and muttering "No, no, no, not him, please not him…" Sensing the hostile vibes coming off their leaders, the two youngest boys sized each other up for a few seconds, then shrugged and paired up. Kai turned and looked at Ozuma.

"It looks like we're together." he said matter-of-factly. He would have preferred to share with Ray and was pretty confident that Ozuma had wanted to share with Dunga, but Ozuma was second choice. And second choice was better than nothing. "Nothing" being Tyson.

"It does indeed."

"Shall we go and dump our stuff?" Ray suggested.

"We need the keys first." Hilary pointed out. Ray held his up, smirking. Ozuma looked in disbelief at the four remaining keys in his hand.

"Ray used to be a pickpocket when he lived in Shanghai." Kai explained. He took charge, seeing with some satisfaction the glint of resentment in Ozuma's eyes. "All right then. Tyson and Max, you're in room 103. Hilary and Mariam, you can go next to them and _try_ to keep them in order. Room 104." The girls nodded, grinning and nudging each other. "Ray and Dunga… I think I can guess what you two'll be doing, so you'd better go in the middle room. And keep the volume down."

"Read my mind." Ray said airily, holding up his key. Sure enough, it read 105. Kai turned to Kenny and Joseph. "Where do you two want to go? Unless you have any preferences?" He looked questioningly at Ozuma, who shook his head, busily handing out the keys.

"We should probably go at the end, though."

"Keep them contained, you mean?"

"Exactly."

"In that case," Kenny spoke up nervously. "Shouldn't Tyson and Max be in 104 and the girls in 103?" Kai nodded in approval, wondering how he could have missed such an obvious mistake.

"Good point, Chief. Okay, so you're in 106." Kenny and Joseph nodded. Kenny took the keys from Ozuma. They all trudged off to dump their bags.

* * *

Opinions welcome, please! And now I have to go and do a History essay... (grumbles) Bye-bye, all! Please review! Next chapter should be better! 


	3. Chapter 3

Well, here I am again! A big thanks to Nedunque, kailover2006, Elemental Gypsy and Dark Kaiser for reviewing the last chapter! School's finally ended! Whoo!

Enjoy!

* * *

"Go, Dragoon! Hyper-Victory-Tornado!" Tyson yelled, his eyes blazing with the thrill of battle.

"Flash Leopard! _Go_!" The menacing leopard snarled and hurled itself at the towering dragon, fur blazing with violet and yellow flames. Fire met wind in an explosive clash. Flash Leopard roared challengingly, staring at the strongest of the Sacred Four with no hint of fear in its glittering eyes. Both bladers took a step forwards, gathering their energy for a final strike.

"_GO_!" they bellowed. The bit-beasts roared, powered by their masters' battle-rage and charged towards each other. "Dragoon!" Tyson's fierce yell rang out over the dish. "You can beat this overgrown flea ball!" He cried out as Flash Leopard struck out with its vicious claws, automatically taking the hit. With a shout of rage, he reared up, his incoherent yell of defiance mixing with Dragoon's bellow as it charged, knocking both Flash Leopard and Ozuma back.

Kai, Kenny, Ray, and Mariam exchanged worried looks. The two opponent's faces were twisted with the desire to win, with the buzz that came with finding an opponent that you could go all out on. Last time that they had battled to this intensity, Flash Leopard had nearly been destroyed by Ozuma's relentless pushing, Dragoon's attack ring had been melted almost completely off, and both bladers had collapsed unconscious after the battle had ended in a draw. Tyson had barely been able to walk back home again, completely drained by the energy he had spent.

With a quick nod, Kai moved to the side of the dish, watching for his opportunity. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dunga bend down to listen to Mariam, then nod and do the same on the opposite side. Suddenly, he saw his chance, as the two blades rushed towards each other again. Signalling with a sharp nod, he launched Dranzer. The phoenix sped towards the rapidly closing gap between the battling blades, silent and deadly. With an ear-splitting crash, the four beyblades collided in the middle of the dish. Dragoon and Flash Leopard flew out, landing neatly beside their owner's feet. Satisfied, Kai and Dunga held out their hands for their own beyblades.

Ozuma fell to his knees, while Tyson simply let himself fall backwards, landing with a crash on the floor. Both of them were red-faced and panting heavily, matching grins of sheer adrenalin and exhilaration plastered widely on their faces. Within a few seconds, helped by Hilary, who had run over instantly, Tyson was sitting up and tidying himself up a little, already boasting to the nearest person (i.e.; Hilary) about how well he had bladed. Kai watched with narrowed eyes as he saw Ozuma stand unsteadily, refusing offers of help from all his team-mates and stagger to the side, where he sank down, head in-between his legs. Kai walked over to him and prodded him unceremoniously with his foot.

"You should be taking it easy for a bit. That was a pretty intense match." he commented matter-of-factly.

"I'm fine." Ozuma said through gritted teeth. Why wouldn't they ever leave him alone? Wherever he went, there was someone there, telling him to lighten up, to take it easy…

"Ozuma!" The command, sharp as a whip, jolted him out of his exhausted daze. Dizzy, he looked up. Focusing with difficulty, he saw Kai's impassive face staring down at him. A cool, firm hand was placed on his arm. "You need to lie down for a bit. There's no shame in it, Tyson's being forced to do it as well." Blinking rapidly, Ozuma stared at the others. Sure enough, a weakly protesting Tyson was being frog-marched off by Hilary and Kenny. Mariam caught his gaze and stalked over. The expression on her face did _not_ bode well…

Kai watched in amusement and vague pity as Ozuma was dragged off to their room by Mariam and Dunga. A few minutes later, Hilary came back. Ray gave her a long, appraising look, starting at her rumpled hair and bright eyes and finishing with her partially un-done blouse. Hilary blushed a thousand different shades of red and gave Ray a poisonous glare.

"Tyson's a faster worker than I would've given him credit for." Ray smirked teasingly. Hilary hissed something under her breath about Ray's idea of fast working and stalked over to Mariam. The two girl promptly turned their backs on everyone and were soon chatting animatedly. Kai walked over to Ray. They turned away from the others slightly.

"Not before time, if you ask me." Kai murmured.

"Yeah, I was getting seriously fed up of waiting!" Ray replied, grinning. The two of them exchanged satisfied glances. Kai decided to go and check if they needed any help forcing Ozuma to rest.

* * *

"What?" Ozuma called out irritably in response to Kai's knock on the door. Sighing quietly, his suspicions confirmed, Kai opened the door. Ozuma scowled at him from where he was sitting on his bed.

"You should be resting." Kai said curtly. "You're as white as a sheet."

"Yeah, yeah, do I give a damn?" Ozuma snapped. "I'm fine! I've been in a worse condition before and survived!" With a determined expression on his face, he got up and tried to walk over to the wardrobe. Cursing, Kai caught him as he swayed, his eyes glazing over.

"Bed." he said in a tone that brooked no argument. Ozuma swore weakly and flipped him the finger, trying to get free. With a groan, Kai heaved Ozuma up until they were level. "Come on. I'm not taking responsibility if you pass out."

Ozuma looked blearily up at Kai, wondering why the blader had softened his voice slightly. He felt himself being pulled towards his bed and struggled helplessly against Kai's muscular arm. "Stop struggling, Ozuma. You're only delaying the inevitable."

"Screw you."

"Pointless insults are degrading and a mark of crudity. Like Tyson." Kai told him, a faint tinge of amusement in his voice. Ozuma growled softly and gave up at last, allowing Kai to gently slide him onto his bed. "Rest, Ozuma. It won't kill you, while I just might." He gave the feebly scowling teenager a grim smile.

"Fine. I give up." Ozuma snapped, closing his eyes.

"Good." Kai went out, shutting the door soundlessly behind him.

* * *

Kai looked up as Ozuma came into the dining room. Mariam and Ray were bringing in the food, with Max sending poisonous glares in Ray's direction if he so much as looked Mariam's way. Ozuma was still pale, but his eyes were no longer glassy, and he was moving without effort. He took a seat next to Kai.

"Happy now?" he said sullenly. Kai smirked at the Tyson-like behaviour.

"I suppose." he said quietly. He picked a small portion of food and began to eat neatly and deliberately, cutting each piece of meat into small chunks and chewing them thoroughly. With a weary acceptance, he counted down in his head. _Three…two…one…_

"Tyson Granger, that is _disgusting_! Close you mouth _right _now!" Hilary shrieked. Tyson responded angrily, his reply incoherent through his stuffed mouthful. The Saint Shields winced and looked on in a kind of shocked bemusement at the rowing pair.

"Ah, true love," Ray murmured in Kai's ear, his eyes glittering wickedly. Max was alternating eating and staring at Mariam, so used to the arguments that they didn't even register in his head anymore, and Kenny had resignedly inserted his faithful earplugs. So the meal progressed.

Quite suddenly, Kai felt dizzy. He put a hand out to steady himself, then gasped as a hot, acute needle of pain pierced his skull. Ray and Ozuma both looked sharply at him. He closed his eyes and fought for some kind of control over the sudden headache.

He wasn't getting it. Opening his eyes again, he flinched at the painfully bright lights. Wordlessly - he didn't think he could manage words at the moment - he stood up and walked away, fighting not to pass out, or vomit, or do any of the things that his brain was telling him to do.

Ozuma exchanged a puzzled, anxious look with Ray, who shrugged and pulled a confused face. With an effort, Ozuma dragged his attention back to his food.

Ten minutes later, the meal was finished. Tyson, Joseph and Dunga slouched like beached hales in their seats, having foolishly had an eating competition. Max had "accidentally" eaten a spoonful, quite literally a whole_ spoonful_, of sugar, and was so hyper it was dizzying just looking at him. Mariam and Hilary were busy attending to their "stupid, _stupid_ boys", so Ray and Ozuma exchanged another look, with only one thing in mind. They pushed their chairs back and strode out of the dining room.

Ray hovered uncertainly outside the door with his hand on the handle, the old beware-of-Kai instinct kicking in. With an impatient grunt, Ozuma pushed past him and pulled open the door to his and Kai's bedroom.

"Kai? You okay?" he called.

"Fine." came the curt reply. Both boys groaned softly at the blatant untruth of the answer.

Ozuma stepped into the room.

* * *

I suppose that's a cliffhanger. Oops. I just didn't know how to end it. I'm not too fond of this chapter, but as has been proved more times than I can count, I am the very worst judge of my own writing! So, please review and tell me what you think of it! 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Thanks to **kailover2006**, **Dark Kaiser**, **Nedunque**, **Elemental Gypsy**, **AaraNari**, **Ozuma and Blank's Lil' Kitten**, **Sam**, and **MagicalKaiLover18** for reviewing!

I know, I know, it's been far too long since an update, I know at least three of you want this fic to continue! I'm sorry! I ran out of ideas! Forgive me!

Enjoy this long-overdue chapter!

* * *

Kai was sitting on his bed, head in his hands, utterly motionless. Ozuma hesitated, unsure, now that he was actually in the room, of what to do.

"You okay?" he asked at last.

"Yes."

"Yeah right!" he scoffed, a little bolder now.

"What would you do if I said no?" Ozuma's recently-acquired boldness fled for the hills.

"Force-feed you painkillers." he said at last. Kai chuckled softly.

"You could try."

"I could. And I will if you don't lie down."

"Fighting words, but can you back them up? And I would _love_ to lie down, but unfortunately, moving isn't really an option at this precise moment in time." Sarcasm dripped from every carefully-spoken word.

"Talking shouldn't be, either." Ozuma shot back, his temper starting to rise at Kai's stubbornness.

"Yeah, well …" Ozuma watched Kai's throat move in a quick, convulsive swallow. "I don't take notice of "shouldn't"s."

"How did I guess?" Ozuma muttered under his breath. "You're an idiot, has anyone ever told you?"

"More times than I can count."

"Then you think something might have sunk in?" Irrational anger was tight in Ozuma's chest as he stomped over to Kai. "Are you masochistic, or just plain stubborn?" Before Kai could reply, Ozuma had given him a swift, hard push that sent him reeling backwards onto the bed.

All the colour drained from Kai's face, and he let out a strained hiss, his eyes screwed tightly shut.

"Sadist." he managed at last.

"Try _sensible_." Ozuma instructed him coolly. He drew the curtains and headed for the door. "See you when your face is back to its normal colour." He shut the door on Kai's incoherent reply.

------

Ray gave him an amazed look as he came out. Ozuma shrugged.

"He's an idiot." was all he said. Ray grinned and nodded.

"And don't we all know it." He paused. "None of us would have dared do _that_, though." Ozuma's head began to metaphorically swell, until Ray added with a mischievous grin, "None of us have a death-wish."

His bubble well and truly burst, Ozuma glared at Ray and stomped away.

------

Ten minutes later, he was watching Max and Mariam battle through a crack in the door. He considered it his duty to watch every battle with the Scared Spirits, to make sure that they were still under control. And there were times when duty became pleasure. Such as now. This was _highly_ amusing.

"Come on, Maxie, I know you can do better than that!"

_Of course he can, Mariam, he hasn't even summoned Draciel yet. Curious. I know the spirits react to emotions - maybe he's afraid that Draciel will refuse to fight at full strength and show him up in front of Mariam. It would make sense._

The bulky green beyblade was spinning stolidly in the centre of the dish, with Sharkcrash darting around the edges and flying in to land an attack now and again.

_She won't attack full strength either - this is a much more cautious way of battling than I've ever seen from her before. _

Sharkcrash nudged Draciel gently, almost questioningly. The green blade made no reaction, but the owner developed a rather flushed neck and cheeks.

_Hilarious. It's flirting via beyblades._

"Get on with it, you two! I'm bored!" Tyson grinned and waved at the glares from his own vantage point near the second door.

_So impatient, Tyson. All things come to he who waits_.

Deciding that Tyson wasn't worth the air-space taken up by their anger, the opponents faced each other, and their bit-chips began to glow.

"Yeah! That's more like it!" Tyson shouted cheerfully. Ozuma's skin prickled as the Black Tortoise rose from the bit-chip and bellowed a challenge at the armoured shark weaving around it in a figure of eight.

_You're right Tyson, that's much more like it_.

"You want my best, Mariam? I'll show you!" Max's eyes were alight with sudden determination as he raised his arms. "Draciel! Heavy Viper Wall, now!" The two bit-beasts were engulfed in a whirling purple mass that grew stronger as Max put more and more effort into it.

Mariam tried to fight back, but it soon became clear to Ozuma that she hadn't prepared herself for an attack of this magnitude. Her attacks were disorganised and sloppy, desperate strikes when Draciel's steady power surge hit a low ebb that made no effect on a beyblade built to defend.

In contrast, Max's eyes were fierce with resolve, and a violet glow was beginning to seep from his body as he accessed Draciel's true strength.

The strain of defending herself from an attack that grew stronger with each passing second began to show on Mariam's face, and with a strangled half-sob, she let Sharkcrash slip out of the range of Draciel. In an instant, Draciel surged up to Sharkcrash and with a firm smack, shoved the beyblade out of the dish. Mariam let out a startled cry and fell to her knees, the blow making itself felt in her stomach.

_That was child's play to Max. Interesting, to see how much they have all improved. I can see we need work_.

Max hurried over to Mariam and extended his hand.

"Good match! Are you ok?" he asked worriedly. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to hit you that hard, I kinda got a bit carried away …" Mariam took the shamefaced boy's hand and stood up, laughing.

"Don't worry, Maxie. I'd have been mad if you hadn't." Max looked comically relieved.

"Thanks." He gave her a sunny smile.

"Anytime." She smiled back, a rare smile that was free of any irony. "You're cute when you're angry." she said, her serious tone belied by the grin spread across her face. Max turned an interesting shade of red and visibly searched for words.

"I'm cute all the time!" he offered at last, with a cheeky smile.

_Oh, please … _Shaking his head and miming being sick, Ozuma moved away from the door and headed back to their rooms. At this rate he was going to end up like Ray and Dunga, and spend the evening watching mindless TV programs made for people whose blood went to the wrong head. He would never have pictured Ray as someone like that, but people were, after all, full of surprises.

To his surprise, when he reached the room he shared with Kai, he found the door, that he _knew_ he'd left closed, slightly ajar, and the sound of voices issuing from within. He put his eye to the gap, looked, and withdrew quickly, his mind working with the split-second image in the darkened room to create a very interesting picture. _Don't be silly_, he chided himself, _you're over-reacting_. He hovered near the gap, eavesdropping unashamedly.

" … you ever been to a doctor?"

"No. Why would I? They're headaches."

"Yes, but …"

"But what?"

"I give up, ok? You're hopeless."

"I already knew that." Ozuma dared another look. Ray was sitting on the foot of Kai's bed, legs folded under him in an impossible position and an irritated look on his face, while Kai was lying with his eyes shut, looking smug. His strange mental picture of before, he saw now, was simply because of the angle he had been looking; it had appeared that Ray was sitting on Kai's legs.

_You see it everywhere. _he thought sternly. Just because he got lonely from time to time didn't mean that every boy remotely his age was that way inclined. _But they do look close … _a little part of his mind insisted. _That's because they're good friends._ he insisted back.

"Ozuma?" Damn, he had been spotted. "You can come in, you know. It _is_ your room."

"And mine."

"And you're in it, so why shouldn't he be?" Ray said, with the overly patient air of someone without much of that particular facility left to give. Ozuma stepped in, noting that Ray hadn't moved from his previous position. He sat on his bed and swung his legs backwards and forwards, feeling slightly awkward.

"Your face is back to normal." he said at last. Kai opened his eyes and gave him a brief smile.

"Yeah."

"You look tired, though."

"He does." Ray agreed, with a note of faint triumph that said "I told you so!" as effectively as if he had spoken aloud.

"I don't need you two telling me how I feel!" Both boys blinked at the unexpected anger in Kai's voice.

"Hey, calm down, we didn't mean anything by it!" Ray tried placating him, to no avail.

"Both of you, get out! Go on! Get out!" With a look of confusion and hurt that made even Ozuma, the innocent party, feel slightly guilty, Ray got up and stormed out. Kai turned a hot, glittering stare to Ozuma, rage boiling in the murky grey depths of his eyes. Shrugging carelessly, Ozuma stood.

"You need to get a better grip on your emotions, pal." he said nonchalantly, sauntering from the room. He wouldn't let Kai know that he was hot and cold all over with unreasonable guilt; that the sudden, uncharacteristic burst of fury had affected him far more than he would ever have expected.

Outside, he exchanged raised eyebrows with Ray, who looked like he felt.

"He hasn't lost his temper like that for a long time." Ray said abruptly, as if to fill the vacuum that had appeared between them. "I don't know why …" He trailed off and shook his head with a rueful grin. "He might be my best friend, but there are times he's a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a whole lot of "I-don't-give-a-damn-about-the-rest-of-the-world, you know?" Ozuma nodded. He understood.

_Hm. Best friend_.

* * *

Longer than the last one - slightly - and still not up to my average length. Oh well. Hope everyone else could picture that Max/Mariam bit as well as I could! I tried for a bit of random fluffiness this chapter, to give me a respite to remember, or rewrite, the plot. -.-

Please review!


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